Bittersweet
by XxGoddess AthenaxX
Summary: It had been ironic that this was how things would end up – she would fall for his rival. In truth, the whole thing had been his fault. Gruvia Oneshot


_Hi everyone :) I finally decided to write a Gruvia oneshot._

_Initially I hadn't been a fan of Gruvia but over the course of the manga and anime, I discovered that the pairing was rather cute. My favourite moments with the pair was their Unison Raid, their Fantasia float and their moments during the S-rank exams._

_This idea was rather spur of the moment and my brain was thinking as I was typing so I apologise if this seems a bit OOC. I just thought that Gray would be more like this in a similar situation. You guys can decide whether I got it right or not._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. If I did then Laxus would be mine XD_

Gray x Juvia

Bittersweet

It had been ironic that this was how things would end up – she would fall for his rival.

In truth, the whole thing had been his fault.

Gray had known from the moment that he had met her that Juvia was in love with him. Part of him was filled with pride that this S-rank girl was interested in him and every time she declared her devotion to him it made that pride grow.

He didn't know when it had happened and he really couldn't say how, but at some stage he had fallen for her. The realisation that he cared about her well-being more than just as a nakama was unexpected but it was there. It was from then onwards that he became more conscious of her when she was around him and he made every effort to say or do things that would rile her up and make her jealous.

He didn't know what it was exactly that kept him from asking her out. Maybe part of him was terrified of dating his number one fan but what he did know was that he didn't want to get too attached to her lest he lose her like Ul.

When Lyon had come into the picture, his jealousy shot to an all-time high. Never before had she had a guy so openly display his affection for her but he had almost barked in laughter when Juvia had vehemently denied his rival. He knew that he should have taken the opportunity to tell her that he liked her too. It was out of fear that he didn't. Gray didn't want Juvia to think that he only wanted her because someone else was interested in her.

During the break before the first challenge of the Magical Games began, Gray decided that he would tell Juvia how he felt once he won the challenge. His loss had been disappointing and he was pissed at how he lost but what antagonised him was that it came with an even greater price – he had no right to tell Juvia how he felt when he wasn't strong enough to protect her or even himself for that matter.

He had however been glad when Juvia wanted to go to dinner with him that evening. His heart swelled and he decided that enough was enough and that he would say something to her. Of course his bubble was popped when Lyon showed up and ruined their time alone.

What he _had_ seen was that whenever Lyon had shown up and he withdrew into himself while Juvia fought off the other ice mage's advances was that Juvia had started to grow attached to Lyon. The irony of the situation was not lost on him – the girl that had been vying for his attention had fallen for the guy seeking hers. He almost knew what Lyon had felt when he lost Sherry to that tsundere.

It had been his fault for allowing Juvia to see Lyon's superiority – Gray was seven years behind Lyon's magical ability. Lyon was willing to give her what she desired and it pained him to admit that Juvia would be better off with the older mage.

When Gray found himself hunched up and leaning over the rails of one of the bridges near the Magical Games stadium all alone, he knew that he had lost the fight – hell he hadn't had a chance to compete in the first place. He stared at the stars above him and frowned at a sight that would usually calm him.

The shuffling of the bush nearby alerted him that Juvia was near. She had decreased the amount of time she would spend stalking him and he knew that she was spending that time with Lyon. Maybe she was acting out of habit for the moment but he knew that soon she would cease following him altogether and leave the guild.

"You can come out Juvia," his voice was low and had she not been paying attention she would have missed it.

When he caught sight of her out of the corner of his eyes, she had a blush on her face from being caught out. Gray wanted to smile at her expression of guilt but his heart ached too much for him to try.

"Gomen ne Gray-sama," Juvia apologised, "J-Juvia didn't mean to-"

"Don't apologise when you did nothing wrong."

"H-Hai."

Gray let out another sigh and turned so that he was facing her. He thought about how she had changed from being so gloomy into this happy person that treasured her nakama and loved their guild. He knew that what he was about to do would be bittersweet – he was about to let go of the one he loved so that she could have better.

"I'm sorry," he apologised, confusing the water mage. "I really should have tried hard to be more worthy."

"Gray-sama…"

"My heart aches when I think about it but I can't be selfish and keep you when you deserve better," Gray gave her a weak smile. "I guess I lost to Lyon."

He turned to walk away before she could see him breakdown and so that he wouldn't see her expression. He had barely taken a step when Juvia caught his wrist and held him in place. His heart jumped to his throat in anticipation and he didn't dare move lest he break contact with her.

"Juvia doesn't understand what Gray-sama is trying to tell her but Juvia knows that the only person that she loves is Gray-sama – not Lyon.

Gray's heart sped up at her words and he spun around and caught her lips with his before he lost the courage to do so. He kissed her for all that he was worth, pouring his soul into their kiss. His hands cupped her face and pulled them closer together until they were forced to take in air.

"I'm sorry Juvia…"

The water mage's heart sunk.

"I shouldn't have made you wait for so long."

Juvia's heart soared and she kissed him. Their kiss turned into many and Gray smiled at the thought. Lyon would just have to find someone else because Juvia was accounted for and that wasn't going to change anytime soon.

xoxoxox

_**An**:I hope that this was okay. I was going to give this a bittersweet ending to complete the theme but decided against it since I had written the Jerza oneshot before this and that was sad enough. Drop a review and let me know what you thought :)_


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